The End of a Universe
by Nocturnal Elle
Summary: Sequel to my "Across the Universe" story.
1. Chapter 1

Willow sat on the edge of her bed and looked down at her red sneakers. She knew she should be working on something for school. She looked at the clock. 9:12. Too early to go to bed. She could call Tara. She could check up on Buffy and Dawn. Instead, she rolled back on the bed and pulled a blanket over her. Thoughts swam in her head.

_Buffy's mom is dead. Spike is in love with Buffy. Glory will probably kill us all. I skipped Lit class again. Tara still has my red jacket. I was going to wear that tomorrow. ... Is the other Joyce gone? Does Faith suddenly have a little sister? What would William be like if he were in love?_

Willow rolled over quickly and squeezed her eyes shut. She had told herself she was *not* going to think about the other universe. She kicked off her sneakers. 9:18. Maybe it wasn't too early for bed after all.

* * *

In her dream, Willow was wearing the socks, red jeans, and blue t-shirt that she on when she went to bed. She thought it was odd for a dream that she remembered what she had been wearing when she went to sleep. It seemed even more odd that she was so aware in the dream. The marble walls and columns in the room she was in seemed so very real.

"That's because you aren't dreaming."

Willow spun. There was a girl in a toga speaking to her. She had curly golden hair and her skin looked metallic. There was a braided band around her forehead, and Willow could see some of the girl's veins spidering out here and there. "Who are you?" Willow asked.

The girl smiled. "My predecessors called themselves oracles. But I do not think I like that name. It didn't do anything for them in the end."

Willow, who still thought she was dreaming, asked casually "what happened to them in the end?"

"They were killed."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." The little girl waved her hand and two chairs appeared. She motioned for Willow to sit. "You still think you're dreaming. You're not."

Willow's pulse quickened. She didn't like this dream. She sat down. "If I'm not dreaming, where am I?"

"In between, I guess you could say. Right now, we're outside of space, but not time. Look." The girl waved her hand and in the air before them it was like watching TV. Willow saw Tara knock on her dorm room and then enter. Tara picked up one of Willow's red shoes from the bed and turned it over in her hands. She looked perplexed.

Willow stood up and went to the vision. "I'm not there." She turned and looked at the girl. "I'm really not dreaming." The girl shook her head. "Well, what am I doing here? Send me back." The girl shook her head. She closed the vision. "Have a seat Willow. We need to talk. You've messed some things up. Set some things in motion. The powers that be have not yet decided what to do about that."

To Willow, it seemed as though the marble room began to spin. "Set things in motion?"

Another vision parted the air. It was Buffy. Willow almost didn't recognize her at first. Her hair was shoulder-length and her clothes were rather plain. The most disturbing thing was her eyes. They looked lifeless. She was in what appeared to be a small apartment, and she was on the phone, gripping it tightly in one hand. The other hand was playing with something on her necklace, a nervous habit. "What is this?" Willow asked. "What does this mean?"

"This was a week ago. Her mom just called her."

Willow teared up. She knew she wasn't watching her Buffy. This was the other one. And she was on the phone with her mom... something that could never happen again for her Buffy.

"Someone told that Joyce Summers that her daughter might be in Northern California going by the name Anne."

Willow didn't say anything. The image swirled and a lump rose in Willow's throat. It was William, sitting by a fire, with a small black book. He had a pen in his hand, but he wasn't using it. The tips of his fingers rested on a piece of paper tucked in the book. Willow's breath caught when she saw what it was. "Where did he get that?"

"Tore it out of a yearbook at the Watcher's place. Touching, isn't it? This is what he does every night."

Willow was dazed. "I always hated that picture." She couldn't keep her eyes away from him.

"He was never supposed to meet you." She changed the image again. Now it was Faith and Xander arguing. Willow didn't understand. "What? I caused them to argue?"

"You caused a delay." The girl closed the vision again. "As I said, you messed some things up. Started some stuff. You have no idea what you've done. The powers haven't decided how to proceed, so they're going to experiment."

"Experiment?"

"We're putting you back in the other universe to see what happens. Will you continue to disrupt, or will you bring to fruition?"

"What about *my* universe?"

"We'll see," the girl said. Then she snapped her fingers, and Willow was falling.

* * *

Xander and Faith were arguing again. William rolled his eyes. This is what it had been like with them for weeks. When were they just going to realize -

"Aaahhh!!!"

William was knocked off his feet as a body collided with him out of nowhere. The shock of impact was quickly displaced by the shock of who was now lying on top of him in the cemetary. If the mass of red hair in his face hadn't given it away, her scent would have.

"I really gotta work on my entrances," Willow mumbled. She didn't seem to notice she was lying on top of someone. She was certainly aware of it when he pushed the hair out of her face and left his hands on either side of her head.

"William," she breathed. Her whole face lit up, but he didn't say anything. Willow realized it was kind of awkward to be pinning him to the ground, and she made a move to get off him. He didn't let her. One hand dropped to her lower back and the other pulled her head down to his. She did not resist. In fact, she let out a little moan. It had been weeks since she'd kissed Spike to see what it would be like to kiss William, and this was every bit as good as she remembered. No, this was better. This was much better. This was wrong. She pulled her head back. Her breath was short.

"We shouldn't -"

"Sorry, I -"

The couple on the grass didn't get the chance to complete their awkward moment because about this time they heard Faith's amused laughter. "Look who's back," she said dryly.

Xander went over and helped Willow off William and to a standing position. "You fell from the sky." Xander grinned goofily at Willow.

"Xand's got this habit of stating the obvious when he's in shock," Faith interjected. "_Why_ did you fall from the sky?"

Willow was still a little flustered. True, she _had_ just fallen out of nowhere, but it was the kissing that had her still blushing. She'd fallen on top of William and they'd started kissing. In front of people. Oh dear. "I, uh, I'm not sure. I was in my room and then I was in this place, and there was this girl in a toga and she said they were going to experiment and the next thing I know, I'm falling, and..."

"Whoa, Red, slow down. What girl? What kind of experiment?"

Willow took a deep breath. Why did Faith always have to be so pushy? "She didn't really say who she was. I think she was kind of a spokesperson for something else. And I got the impression that whoever she works for thinks I may have messed some things up in this reality." Willow looked at her feet. "Sorry 'bout that." Her eyes met Faith's. "I think they, whoever They are, put me back here to see if I mess anything else up... or fix something."

"So it's like _Quantum Leap_, then, and you're here to 'set right what once went wrong'?" Xander joked.

Willow smiled, thankful for the levity he brought to Faith's questioning stare. "Only no Ziggy to tell me what to do."

William and Faith exchanged a confused look. "Whatever," the Slayer said. "I guess we should go to Giles. Tell him you're here."

"And Buffy," William added.

"Yeah, tell her too, I guess." Faith made no effort to hide her mood.

Willow looked to William. "Buffy's here? She came back?"

"A couple of days ago," William said. "This private investigator that Joyce hired found her. After a few new clues." He raised an eyebrow at her.

The four began walking. Xander sidled up to Willow and slung an arm around her shoulders. "I know it's gotta be weird for you, but it's nice to see you again."

Silently, William and Faith fell two steps behind.


	2. Chapter 2

Buffy was having an uncomfortable cup of tea with Giles. She'd been gone for over 2 years; he had a new Slayer. This was very weird. She was having a hard enough time adjusting to being back at home with her mother. She wasn't sure at all if she wanted anything to do with her former life as a Slayer. And she could tell that beneath Giles' calm English exterior that he hadn't forgiven her for running away. She was glad when the phone rang. She toyed nervously with the ring on her necklace.

"...and she just fell out of the sky? ...yes, yes, I see... you're bringing her over, then? ...that seems wise... Hmm? Uh, yes, see you in a few, too, Faith."

Buffy wanted to sigh with relief. People were coming over. Good, less awkwardness. "Faith seems pretty good about checking in with you," Buffy commented.

Giles rolled his eyes. "She calls when she thinks about it." He sat back down. "But yes, on the whole, she's good at keeping me informed."

Was he leaving something unsaid? She hated this. Why had she come back? She wasn't needed here; she wasn't wanted.

* * *

AND THE MOST AWKWARD AWARD GOES TO...

"It's good to see you again, Willow," Giles said as he motioned the redhead inside. "How is it that you find yourself in our universe again?"

Willow noticed that Giles seemed a little tense. "Well, I'm not really sure, I... Buffy!" The redhead was unable to hold back her delight at seeing the blonde slayer. She brushed past Giles and made her way into the living room. Faith, Xander and William kind of nodded to Giles as they fell in silently. None of them were quite sure how to act around the former slayer yet.

Buffy was a little taken aback. Did she know this person who seemed so happy to see her? She seemed familiar. Wait, was she that girl...

Willow noticed the look of confusion on the other girl's face. "Oh, right, you may not have known me at all. My name is..."

"...Willow," Buffy supplied. She stood up and approached her. "I remember you. Or, at least, I think it was you. How are you here? I thought..."

Xander spoke up, in a tone decidedly less enthusiastic than he had been earlier. "She's from another dimension, Buffy. But she's the same Willow."

Buffy turned to Xander and gave him an awkward smile. "Oh. I see." She didn't see at all. She knew that the redhead before her was named Willow and had died at the hands of the Master the first week Buffy moved to Sunnydale. "Well, then, it's nice to meet *you* and I'm sorry I didn't save the other you in time." She offered another unsure smile.

Willow didn't know what to say. "Oh, well, you've saved me dozens of times in my reality, so I'm sure it all evens up..." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she realized how flip they might sound. She backpedaled. "I mean, I'm sure you did your best for the me here..." Oh, no, did that sound like she was blaming? Willow so wanted to make a good impression on this Buffy. She was making an impression like this for sure. She couldn't read the expression on Buffy's face. She closed her eyes. "Let me start over."

Buffy gave her an amused smile. She liked this girl already. Maybe now she would have someone to talk to. She had a past with everybody else, pasts of hurt and broken promises. Meeting Faith was different. They had the Slayer thing to bond over, but Buffy could tell that Faith held her at arm's length, like she was afraid Buffy was back to take her Watcher and friends away. This girl, though... it had been so long since Buffy had formed a real connection with anyone.

Willow was going to do her best to not launch into a ramble. "All I really want to say is this: me and my Buffy? We're really close. I don't know who I'd be without her. And it seems a shame that the me from this reality never got to know you, 'cause in so many ways, you made me the me I am." Willow paused and made a face; the rambling was beginning. "And I just hope you and I can be friends, too." She finished up her bumbling speech with a hug.

Buffy laughed into Willow's hair. "Me too."

It was a touching display, but Giles was more interested in how Willow had ended up back in their reality. He cleared his throat softly.

"Oh, right! You wanted to know how I got here..." and then Willow launched into the fullest explanation she could give of her adventure so far.

"I wondered why you didn't have any shoes," was all Xander made comment on.

Willow looked down at her socks. They were getting pretty nasty. "Right. I'm gonna need some shoes, I guess."

"And a place to stay," Xander added.

Faith crossed her arms. "She'll stay with William. You saw them in the cemetery."

William didn't make eye contact with anyone, and Willow looked like she wanted the floor to swallow her whole. Buffy grinned a little. Oh, yeah, she and Willow were so gonna get along.

"Er, right, then..." Giles knew better than to ask. He also knew that tensions in the room would best be avoided if everybody left. "Buffy, it's getting late, your mother will expect you home soon, I should think. Faith, I take it you didn't get to finish patrol. Xander, how about you go with her. William, you take Willow home. Maybe stop by Amy's and see if she can borrow some clothes and footwear."

It wasn't often that Giles was so take-charge with the group, but tonight they were all thankful to just get to leave and follow orders. Everybody said their goodnights and went their separate ways.

* * *

SO, ABOUT THAT THING EARLIER...

On the way to Amy's dorm, Willow filled William in on what had happened in her Sunnydale in the past weeks. He was very sorry to hear about Buffy's mom, and they both thought it was better to not tell this Summers family about it. And William told Willow about what nasties they had faced in his Sunnydale.

Amy was glad to see Willow, and she loaded her up a bag of clothes and a pair of tennis shoes. "I know they're kinda tame for you, but I think they'll fit," Amy said with a smile. Willow laughed; she knew her fashion sense was more colorful than average.

And then came the inevitable. Willow and William alone.

The silence as they walked from the dorm to the mansion was like a living thing, dancing in between them. William noticed a broken bottle on the sidewalk and took Willow's elbow to steer her out of the way.

"Thank you," she said. And, once the silence had been broken, she figured it was as good a time as any to bring up that thing they were dreading bringing up. "So, um, earlier..."

"I'm sorry I kissed you." He didn't look at her when he said it.

Anything Willow had planned to say died on her lips. Only a disappointed "oh" managed to escape. She didn't mean to, but she slowed down her pace as well. She didn't even notice. William stopped walking.

"I just don't like leaving things unfinished." He still wasn't looking at her. Willow waited for him to continue.

"The last time you were here, I was going to kiss you. I had you in my arms, and then you were gone. I never expected another chance. I couldn't let it pass. I'm sorry." Then he looked at her. Willow was almost positive her heart stopped. That, or she was going to swallow her tongue. She opened her mouth to say something, but got nothing. He turned and started walking again. She caught up to him.

"Thank you, William," she managed. He glanced at her. "For seeing it through."

He nodded. "It shouldn't happen again, though, should it?" She couldn't tell if he was really asking her or telling her.

She shook her head. "Probably not. I don't know how long I'll be here, and I have someone at..." He turned to her and gave her a look that begged for her to spare him the details. They walked the rest of the way in silence.

* * *

The next morning, Xander showed up at the mansion with doughnuts for Willow, and she left to spend the day with him. Xander worked with a construction crew, but he still lived in his parent's basement.

"You ever think of getting an apartment?" Willow asked idly.

"Sometimes. But I'm not here very much, so I figure why spend the extra money?" He was sanding down some shelves. He looked up from his task. "The other me. He has his own place, doesn't he?"

Willow nodded. "I hadn't really thought about it, but I guess it had a lot to do with Anya. She's your girlfriend."

"I have a girlfriend?" Xander put down the sandpaper excitedly. "Then what have you been holding out on me for? Details, woman, details!"

"About Anya?" She laughed. "Let's see, first things first. I name some names, you tell me if they have any meaning."

"Shoot."

"Natalie French."

Xander winced. "Okay, when I said 'shoot', I didn't mean 'hit me with your best shot'..."

"So you and the praying mantis lady also..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah... mock the time I was nearly devoured..."

"Sorry... Ampata?"

"Right, okay, mock the *two* times I was nearly devoured..."

Willow broke into a fit of giggles. "Some things never change." She proceeded to tell him that Anya was an ex-demon and about her misfired I-will-it-so spell that caused Xander to be a real demon magnet.

In the midst of all the laughter, Xander suddenly got very serious. "It was so hard when you left last time. I didn't even get to say goodbye."

Willow knew the feeling. "You know if I'd had any in choice in that..."

"I know." He put his hand over hers. "I'm just already wondering how painful the next time will be."

Willow was about to say that she didn't know if she even *would* get to go back to her reality when the phone rang. "You better get that," she said.

"Hey, Faith... yeah... how about in a couple of hours? ...no, it's just that Willow's here, and... oh, okay... well, I guess... yeah, see you tonight."

Xander ambled back over to the sofa.

"Did she want to do something?" Willow asked. Mentally she tacked on "and found out I was here and changed her mind?"

"Yeah... no. I guess. Well, no, I don't know." Xander sounded frustrated. "Things have been weird between us lately. Strained, y'know?"

Willow nodded. She remembered the vision the oracle-girl had shown her of them fighting.

"I think she's starting to, uh, realize, and she doesn't want to y'know, so then there's this weirdness, and..." Xander let his statement drift off.

It just so happened that Willow was very skilled in deciphering Xanderspeak. "You like her, don't you?"

He looked up quickly, as if to ask how she knew, but then he realized that this was Willow. Of course she knew. "Yeah. Me and Slayers. I fall for them. They don't fall for me." He ran his hand through his hair. "I'm not gonna push it. I mean, I know I'm too normal for her. But I think she's figured out how I feel and now she doesn't know how to act around me or something."

"Oh, Xander, don't say that." Willow smiled. "_I'd_ never call you normal."

"Ha ha ha," he replied dryly. He looked like he was about to get mopey.

Willow stood up and held up her hand to haul him off the couch. "Come on. Walk me to Buffy's. I told her I wanted to come by and chat today. Then you can go find Faith. I don't think she likes me anyway."

"What gives you that idea?"

"I don't know. Just a feeling." Willow didn't mention that the feeling was mutual.


	3. Chapter 3

GIRL TALK, HELLMOUTH STYLE

"I'm glad you came over," Buffy told Willow. "Things are a little strained here with my mom. It's good to see a face that doesn't look like it hurts to look at me."

Willow couldn't help but wince a little. If this Buffy only knew what her Buffy was going through. "Things will get better."

Buffy nodded. "So, tell me about your Sunnydale. Or, tell me about why you and William can't make eye contact but are constantly looking at each other while the other one is turned away."

This took Willow totally off guard. "Wh-what?"

"Last night. Faith said 'you saw them in the cemetery.' Saw what? There's something up with you two."

"Oh, eh..."

"Look, you don't have to tell me. I know we just met. I was just asking."

Willow thought for a moment. "Y'know, I think I would like to talk to you about it. I couldn't tell anyone in *my* reality about it. See, there's this vampire named Spike..."

Buffy listened intently as Willow told her all about Tara and the last time she was in this universe and her attraction to William. Buffy nodded and smiled and shook her head with compassion in all the right places. She was in a unique position to identify with crushing on a vampire. She reached a hand up to toy with the ring on her necklace and made a face when she remembered it wasn't there.

Willow saw the telling gesture. "Oh, no, your ring is missing. Did it fall off?"

Buffy blinked in surprise. How did Willow know? "Uh... how did..."

Then Willow realized that was sort of a freaky thing to say. "Oh, I, uh, saw you had a silver ring on that chain last night. You play with it sometimes."

Buffy swallowed hard. She hesitated for a moment and then decided that since Willow had been willing to share with her, she could do the same. "It was a gift from Angel."

Willow made a silent "oh" face.

"Yeah. I kept it with me as a reminder. But last night... last night I thought if I want to move on with my life, I have to put him in the past. So, after I left Giles' place, I went by the mansion. I took the ring off and left it in the garden."

"Oh, Buffy, I didn't know. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It's just weird that you noticed. I wasn't expecting it."

"Yeah, I guess you never see the big ones coming," Willow replied.

"No." Buffy shook her head. "No, you really don't."

* * *

Tara took a deep breath and knocked on Buffy's door. She really didn't want to be bothering the slayer right now, so soon after her mom's death and in the midst of custody issues over Dawn. But she was so worried about her girlfriend.

"Hey, Tara, come in." Buffy looked tired.

"Hi. How are you doing?"

The slayer shrugged. What could she say in a few words?

"Have you heard from Willow?" They both asked at the same time. Their faces fell.

"I'm really starting to worry, Buffy. She wouldn't just take off like this. What if something has happened to her?"

Buffy couldn't even consider that as an option at the moment. "No. She has to be fine. We'll find her, Tara."

"I'm going to try a locating spell tonight. That should let me know if she's in danger, or..." Tara let her words drift away. That was not an option.

* * *

YOU CAN'T FIGHT WHAT'S MEANT TO BE

It was just after dusk when Buffy and Willow decided to go on a walk. They figured they could hook up with Faith and her crew on patrol.

So you're still not sure you want back in on this Slayer gig, huh?" Willow asked. She noticed that Buffy twirled a stake in her hand while she walked.

"I don't know. I never considered it to be who I am. I was kind of able to ignore it when I was in other towns. But here? On the Hellmouth? Ignoring the call here is like this whole other ballgame, y'know?"

Willow agreed. She was about to say something else and even considered attempting her own sports analogy when they heard the sounds of a struggle.

"Duty calls," Buffy said as they jogged off in the direction of the fighting. They busted into a clearing to find Faith, Amy and Xander fending off a trio of vampires.

Willow fell into helping Amy and Xander dust a vamp. Buffy and Faith each finished one off like they were just filing their nails.

"Like riding a bike, right B?" Faith punched Buffy in the shoulder.

"Or like having the same recurring nightmare every night..." Buffy's voice trailed off. Something was coming out of the bushes. Faith was still brushing vamp dust off her jacket, and the others were on the other side of the clearing.

"It couldn't be..." was all Buffy managed to whisper before he came crashing into the clearing. He headed straight for her and knocked her off her feet. She didn't even scream. He was so big and his eyes were wild.

Amy managed to scream, and Faith had pulled him off the fallen slayer and began fighting with him. Xander got too close to the fray and ended up sprawled on his back. Faith turned into a powerhouse of frenzy after that. Willow looked on in horror. She took a sharp intake of breath when she got a good look at their attacker.

It was Angel.

Buffy was rooted to the spot. This couldn't be happening. That... that couldn't be _him._ She sat up and watched numbly as Faith swung a powerful kick at him. This was impossible.

Willow looked frantically to Buffy. _Oh, no, she's like catatonic._ She whipped her head in the direction of Faith and Angel fighting. Faith was gonna take him out. Something inside Willow tore. "No!" she cried out and rushed at them. It couldn't happen like this. Not like this, not like this, not like this...

Willow made it to Angel just as Faith pulled her stake out of her clothes. She was muttering in Latin.

Angel snarled as Faith lunged at him. But Willow threw up her hands, jumping between them and shouted "_Discede!_" There was a sparkling display of light and then Angel wasn't there.

Willow collapsed. Amy knew at once what Willow must have done and rushed to her side.

Buffy stood slowly. She still had leaves in her hair. "What the..." she whispered.

"What did she do?" Faith barked.

"Looked like a teleportation spell to me," Amy answered. "Those are very powerful. I think it nearly knocked her out."

Xander got up off the ground and came to kneel beside them. "Willow, can you move?" The redhead's eyes fluttered, and she was breathing heavily. "Maybe we should get her to a hospital."

"Yeah, well, I'm outta here," Faith said. "I feel the need to pummel and kill coming on." She brushed past Buffy without meeting the other Slayer's eyes.

Buffy walked slowly over to the fallen witch. Her voice sounded detached. "Xander, go after Faith." Buffy reached down began lifting Willow off the ground.

"What? Why? What about Willow?"

The Slayer hoisted the witch up into her arms. "Go after Faith. Watch her back. She's pissed; she won't be paying attention. Amy and I will take Willow to the hospital." Xander reluctantly agreed and took off after Faith.

At mention of the hospital, Willow stirred. "No hospital," she said weakly. But Buffy was already walking.

"No hospital," Willow tried more forcefully. "I'm fine."

"You're *not* fine. You could have a concussion or something."

"I just need rest. And aspirin. The hospital will run my records. They'll find out I'm supposed to be dead. No hospital."

Buffy paused and exchanged a look with Amy.

"She's right," Amy agreed. "They'll have a lot of questions, too." Amy came over and peered into Willow's face. "Her pupils look normal. They get bigger or something if you've got a head injury, right?"

Buffy shrugged as best as she could while still carrying Willow. "I don't know. She needs attention. Do we take her to Giles?"

Amy hesitated. "He'll freak when he finds out she did a teleportation spell alone." Then Amy's eyes lit up. "Take her to the mansion. William can watch over her."

Buffy let out a little snort. "And *he'll* freak when he finds out *who* she teleported." She headed in the direction of Crawford Street, anyway.

"What happened?" William asked in alarm as Buffy and Amy carried the semi-conscious redhead into the mansion.

"Rough night," Buffy answered non-comitally.

"Rough night, my ass. What *happened*?"

"Look, could you just help us get her situated?"

"And some aspirin would be nice," Willow mumbled.

"And some aspirin?"

"I'm a vampire; I don't have any aspirin." Disgruntled, William led Buffy to Willow's room.

"Now," William began after they had her settled. "Someone is going to tell me what happened this evening."

Buffy sat down on the end of the bed and began shaking again. Amy looked at the floor.

"Well?" William prodded.

"Angelus," Buffy whispered.

"WHAT?!?"

"No, no, no..." Willow mumbled. "Not Angelus. Angel. Angel. Just needs time. Needs help. Needs Buffy."

This time it was Buffy who said "What?!?"

Willow continued to speak, though it seemed to take every ounce of energy she had left to do so. "The spell. Ask Amy. He's Angel. He's back. I don't know how. It must be you, Buffy. You're the trigger. He's Angel, he just needs time. He's been in Hell a loooong time. He doesn't know who he is... He needs..."

William came and sat beside her. "Shhh, love," he said quietly. "I think you should be resting." He pushed some of the hair out of her face. The look of tenderness on his face fell away when he looked back at Amy and Buffy. "And what happened to her?"

Buffy took a deep breath. "Willow was taking a walk with me. We ran into Faith, Xander and Amy on a routine patrol. We dust some vamps then we hear something in these bushes and it's Angelu-" she took another little breath. "A-and he attacked me. Just sort of threw himself at me. I was stunned, you could say."

William softened a bit when he thought of how hard that must have been on the Slayer.

"So Faith took him on, and she was about to stake him, when Willow got in between them and did some sort of mojo and he disappeared."

"Mojo?" William asked.

"She did a teleportation spell on him," Amy supplied.

"Where to?"

Buffy and Amy exchanged a look. They hadn't thought to ask.

"Don't know. Haven't worked all the bugs out yet," was Willow's muffled response.

William got up off the bed. "She needs sleep. Let's move this outside." They folded a blanket over Willow and closed the door behind them.

It seemed to William that Buffy and Amy wanted to discuss some things privately, so after a little more questioning, he sent them on their way. They all decided that looking for Angelus would be the next day's top priority, but that for the night, it was best to leave it alone and let his return sink in for Buffy.

William checked in on Willow several times before he turned in. From her peaceful form, it looked like she was sleeping soundly.

Willow was dreaming. But, like her encounter with the oracle-girl nights before, it seemed to be a very lucid dream. She was standing in a cool mist, and someone was walking toward her. Willow wanted to approach them, but she couldn't move. She had to wait for the figure to come closer, and it was taking forever.

"Wil-low???" a voice called out.

Willow strained her eyes in the mist. "Tara? Is that you? I'm over here!" Suddenly, Tara was right in front of her.

"Willow!" They embraced.

"Tara," Willow whispered into her hair. "I've missed you."

"Where have you been?" The blond witch asked with concern.

"I'm in another dimension."

"Oh. When are you coming back?"

"I don't know. It's not up to me." Willow gestured to her feet. Tara knelt to examine them. There were shackles on her ankles, with several chains running from them into the distance.

"I understand," Tara said. She stood and kissed Willow. "Come back, if you can."


	4. Chapter 4

A LITTLE BED REST, A LITTLE UNREST

William rose half-asleep from bed and padded down the hall in his pajama bottoms to check on Willow. He became wide awake when he found her drenched in sweat and talking in her sleep.

"I will, I want to..."

William shook her. "Willow, love, wake up."

She sat up very quickly and called out "Tara? TARA?!?" Her eyes were wide, and though she was looking right at William, he knew she didn't really see him. He was instantly worried.

"Willow? Willow? Say something to me," he pleaded gently.

She blinked several times as if she was trying to focus on something. "Spike? I'm so hot, help me out of these blankets..."

William was beginning to realize she was delirious. He should probably call someone. First, he'd help her out of the mass of blankets she was tangled in, then he'd call Giles. His focus was on getting the sheet that was twisted around her foot untwisted when he heard her mutter "still too hot." He looked up just in time to see her throwing her t-shirt to the floor. She had on a white cotton bra.

His mouth went dry, and not from worry. "Willow?"

She was mumbling again. "All the chains... all the ties that bind... some were thicker... they're more important... I understand, too..."

He reached out and put his hand on her bare shoulder. It was the first time he'd felt how really hot she was. It nearly burned him. "Oh, God," was all he said as he scooped her up and started carrying her toward the bathroom.

"Mmm-nnn..." she moaned. "Your skin feels soooo good." She began twisting in his arms, moving so that more of her fevered skin came into contact with his cool flesh. He groaned. The object of his desire was writhing in his arms; this was nearly unbearable. The only thing that made it less erotic was that she thought he was Spike.

By the time he got her to the shower, her face was in his neck. "You smell really good, too, William..." He nearly dropped her; she knew it was him after all. He turned on the water. She licked and nipped his neck. William decided he needed a cold shower, too, so he stepped both of them under the spray of water.

Willow gasped and nearly fell out of William's grasp as the cold water assaulted her. He let her feet slide down to rest on the shower floor, but he still supported her against him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest. He just held her there for several minutes as she cooled down. When he felt her start to shiver, he turned off the water. "Willow?"

Willow's eyes fluttered open and she tensed. She pulled back to look at him. "William? What happened?"

"You've got a fever, and you were delirious," he answered. "I had to cool you off."

Willow looked down to really assess her situation. She was only wearing her jeans and her bra. Her soaked, now thoroughly see-through bra. She blushed. William felt her skin heat up. "You're getting hot again," he noted and moved for the faucet handle. Her blush only blazed more and spread.

"No, no, I think I'll be okay," she said clumsily. "I'm just a little embarrassed is all."

"Oh," William seemed to get it. "Can you walk or should I carry you again?"

_Again?_ Willow thought. _How did I miss that?_ "I think I should try to walk..."

He helped her out of the shower and started to guide her down the hall. "I'm going to take you to my bed." Her eyes widened. He smiled at her. "All the covers on yours are soaked with sweat."

"Right." Willow was also soaking and starting to get a chill. "Do those pajama pants come with a top?"

William did not expect that question. "W-what?"

"I'm all drippy. I thought if maybe you weren't wearing..."

_Dear God, she wants to wear my clothes_, William thought. He went total non-verbal schoolboy on her while he found the pajama top for her. Perhaps the only thing worse than seeing her like this, half dressed and soaking wet, would be seeing her in nothing but his black silk pajama top. He turned his back while she changed, then took the sopping wet pile of clothing and put it in the sink. He changed out of his wet clothing, too.

He stuck his head just inside the bedroom door. "I'm going to call Giles now," he informed her.

"No, Will, don't," she called out, and sat up in the bed.

He entered the room fully. "And why not?"

"It's really late. I'll be okay now. There's no need to wake him."

William crossed his arms and frowned at her. "If you won't let me call Giles, then I'm staying in here in case anything happens."

"Works for me," Willow replied, and curled back down into the covers, this time on one side of the bed instead of in the center. "I'll try not to talk in my sleep," she said with a yawn.

William realized she meant for him to get in the bed with her. As he pulled back the cover and climbed in next to the half-asleep redhead, he knew there was one of two ways she'd be waking up: in his arms, or with him in hers. He didn't care either way.

* * *

STILL NEEDING THAT ASPIRIN

There was a whooshing thump thump sound in Willow's head. Because she was still waking up, it took awhile for her to realize it was only the beat of her pulse drumming in her ears. It seemed really loud, like she had an awful hangover. The last time she'd done a teleportation spell, the repercussions hadn't been nearly this bad.

As she fully stirred to wakefulness, she realized that she wasn't alone in the bed. William's arm was wrapped protectively around her middle. The pajama top she was wearing had ridden up during the night and she could feel his cool stomach against her bare lower back. Willow wouldn't have minded staying right where she was for a long while, but she knew he'd be realizing soon that she was awake. She rolled in his embrace, making no effort to pull herself away from him. He opened his eyes and peered down at her.

"How are you feeling this morning, love?" he asked her softly.

She smiled. He didn't act like it was odd at all for them to wake up like this. "I could still use some aspirin."

"Then I'll call Giles."

* * *

The watcher didn't make any comment about Willow being in William's clothes and bed when he gave the ailing witch some painkillers. Giles asked her a couple of questions about the particulars of the spell on Angelus. "Angel," she corrected him. He left her to keep resting.

"What's the matter with her, Giles?" William asked.

"Well, the spell she performed does normally take a great deal out of someone, but I think it may have been harder on Willow because she's not in her universe. When she teleported Angelus, it was like she was moving a chess piece on someone else's board game."

"But she'll be all right?"

"Yes, I think so. I'm more concerned about the Angelus development. She doesn't seem to see him as a threat, and yet Faith says he attacked them, specifically Buffy, last night."

"You know my feelings about Angelus. I think we should be prepared to take him out if some in the group can't stomach it. But I'm intrigued by what Willow was saying last night about him being Angel and just needing rehabilitation."

"I'm concerned about another matter, as well."

William offered him a quizzical look.

Giles lowered his voice. "I've seen how you look at the girl in there... in your bed, no less..." William crossed his arms and set his jaw. Giles continued. "We don't know yet whether this feral creature from last night is Angelus or not. If it is, we will need your help, not Spike's. Am I clear?"

William stared at him evenly. "Very clear."

* * *

Willow spent most of the day in bed, but when she woke in the late afternoon, she felt completely refreshed. After a shower and a change into clean clothes, she felt absolutely new. She remembered parts of her dream with Tara, and somehow, it made everything a little better.

The alterna-Scoobies had assembled at the mansion and were currently discussing all things Angel in the living room. Willow figured they knew she was up; they'd probably heard her in the shower. But she didn't want to join them just yet. She was lingering in the bedroom door, listening. It was strange.

Faith and Buffy got along. This Buffy even seemed deferential to Faith. Giles was Giles. Xander sounded the so much the same. And she had missed Amy's voice. _I've **really** got to work on de-ratting her when I..._ Willow didn't want to complete that thought. When she got back home. *If* she got back. "Is this home now?" she whispered thoughtfully.

"Does it feel like it?"

Willow jumped and grabbed onto the doorframe. "Will!" She hissed. "It's not very polite to sneak up on people." She smiled at him playfully.

"It's also considered proper to answer questions directed at you." He flashed her what she could only describe as a Spike smile. When he looked at her like that, she couldn't fight the goofy smile that rose on her lips.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you brood less than Angel?" She was changing the subject.

"Answer me, Willow." He was having none of it.

She looked anywhere but his eyes. "I left part of me here when I met all you. But there's a part of me that is missing, a very big part, without my Buffy, and my Xander and Giles and..."

"Tara?"

She met his eyes suddenly.

"You talk about her in your sleep. Last night. The time before."

"Really?" Willow found that comforting, since she felt like she was betraying Tara by her seemingly impossible to curb feelings for William.

"You'll have to tell me about her sometime. I'm sure she's very special." He reached for her hand. "But right now your presence is requested in the other room."

* * *

SO LET'S DO THIS THING

"Hey, Wills, you're up!" Xander offered her a bright smile.

"Feeling better?" Amy asked.

"Much, thank you." Willow took a seat between Amy and Buffy. "How goes the Angel planning?" She looked to Faith.

"We start looking for him as soon as the sun sets," the brunette slayer replied.

"But we carry tranquilizer guns instead of stakes," Buffy added.

"And nobody patrols alone," William finished.

"Giles is gonna stay here to chain him up. It's kind of like a scavenger hunt," Xander said. "Only one where the prize is a blood-sucking demon escaped from Hell." Amy slapped him on the arm.

"How are the groups divided?" Willow asked.

Giles answered. "Faith, Buffy and William are in charge of searching separate areas. You, Amy and Xander will team with them."

"We hadn't really decided who'd go with who, but I figured..." Amy's voice trailed off as Willow blurted out "I'll go with Faith." All eyes were on her. She needed to answer for herself quick. "I, uh, am still a little weak. Faith's the strongest. I'll go with her, if that's okay." She looked to the slayer.

Faith seemed a little thrown. "Whatever, that's cool."

Buffy gave Willow a side-long glance that said "I'm asking you about this later, but I'm gonna let it slide for now."

As for Willow, she didn't know why she had blurted that out. She just had this mental picture of the Xander and Faith from her reality when they went after Angel a couple of years ago. She knew it wasn't the same, but something in her gut told her to not let the two of them make any Angel decisions on their own. Plus, it would save her from any life-threatening situations with William. In Willow's experience, life-threatening situations shared with someone you were attracted to led to smoochies.

Faith delegated sections of Sunnydale to everyone. She and Willow were going to focus on wooded areas. Willow reminded everyone that the object of their search was still Angel; he just didn't remember that he was. As the sun approached setting, Buffy began hanging back from the group.

"Are you ready for this?" Willow asked her.

"Honest? I don't know. This is Angel we're talking here. I never thought I'd..." Buffy looked like she had stage jitters.

"I think everything will work out. We'll find him. We'll catch him. We'll rehabilitate him."

"But how?" the slayer whispered.

Willow tucked a lock of hair behind Buffy's ear. "You'll remind him who he is."


	5. Chapter 5

Faith and Willow were searching the woods. That seemed the most logical place to look for the Angel-beast. They weren't talking much. Willow got the feeling that Faith was in seek-and-destroy mode, and she was a little worried by that. It was almost midnight; they'd been searching fruitlessly for hours.

"Look, we haven't seen any sign of him yet," Faith said. "Let's split up for awhile. Stay within screaming distance."

"O-kay." Willow knew it sounded like a bad idea. She gripped her tranqulizer gun. Like she had any sense of aim. It had been less than five minutes when she heard the growling.

_I should've known_, she thought to herself. _He's probably been watching *us* all this time, waiting for the weaker one to be on her own..._

Sure enough, Angel came out of a tree and dove for her. Willow starting screaming for Faith and doing her best to evade the charging vampire and shoot darts at him at the same time. He tackled her to the ground, knocking the gun out of her hand. She thrashed about, still screaming "Faaaithhh!!!" He nearly snapped her neck pushing it to one side, but before he could descend on her with his fangs, Faith arrived on the scene and shoved him off her.

The next several minutes were full of snarling, chasing, punching, kicking, a fall into a muddy creek, one "hey, that was my new jacket" and several "shoot him! shoot him!"s. And then there were just the sounds of bugs, leaves rustling on branches and two girls trying to catch their breath.

* * *

THE POT AND THE KETTLE

Willow and Faith sat on a fallen tree. They were breathing heavily and covered in mud. Angel lay unconscious ten feet away. It seemed to Willow that every muscle she had ached.

She glanced at Faith. "That was..."

"Yeah," the slayer replied.

"I guess we should tie him up and get him back to the mansion?" Willow's body screamed in protest of the notion of moving another inch.

"Just give me a minute. Besides, since it's just the two of us here, I thought I should say something I've been meaning to tell you."

Willow decided that statement was what made the evening most surreal. Not that she was in another universe, which she had been to before. Not that she and Faith had just taken on the Angel-beast. No, it was that now Faith wanted to talk to her. Now, exhausted, filthy, and with a knocked out vampire that they were gonna have to drag all the way to Crawford Street. Faith had something she'd been meaning to say.

"Look, I know I can be abrasive," Faith exhaled.

Willow didn't argue with her.

"And it's not that I hate you. I mean, you're okay and stuff."

It wasn't very flattering, but still Willow softened a bit.

"Here's the deal. I like Xander. I mean, really like. He's a good guy. He's the only good guy I've ever known."

Then it hit Willow and suddenly she felt very stupid for not having noticed on her own. It was like figuring out who the killer is in a murder mystery two seconds before you were about to find out.

"And things were, well, I wouldn't say they were anywhere _near_ how I wanted them, but they were progressing."

Willow nodded, despite her neck muscles' plea that she not do so.

"Then you showed up, all long-lost and cute innocence. I can't compete with that."

There was about two whole seconds of dumbfoundedness before Willow laughed out loud. Faith did not take this well. Willow could see the fury forming in her dark eyes. But she couldn't stop laughing. No, no, *this* was the part that was most unreal.

"_You?_ Compete with _me_?"

Faith took this the wrong way and started to get up. Willow grabbed her arm and held fast.

"Faith, don't you get it? I'm not an obstacle. You are. If you want Xander, you have him."

The expression on Faith's face changed. "What?"

"He thinks he's too ordinary for you." Willow was already fighting exhaustion; she just found it too hard to stifle her giggles at the idea that this Faith and Xander obviously wanted each other and just hadn't done anything about it. "You... you think you're not... innocent enough for him? You're a _Slayer_, Faith. This Xander, any Xander, I might guess, was born to fall in love with a Slayer." Willow started laughing again.

"Hey, it's not funny!"

"I'm sorry... I just don't... how could you think... ahahaha..."

Faith raised her voice again, but this time it was only in mock anger. "Well, what about _you_, huh? You wasted no time when you got here to lip-lock with Soulboy and then it's all just buddy-buddy. What gives?"

Willow stopped laughing. Faith had a point. "I don't know," she said softly.

Faith put an arm around her awkwardly. "It ain't easy, is all I'm sayin', y'know?"

Willow looked at Faith for a long moment, and then she changed the subject. "I'm sorry that we got off on the wrong foot. I assumed you were like the Faith in my reality. And you're totally not. You're more like Anya... or maybe Cordelia." Willow paused to make a little grimace. "They're not my favorite people, but we learned to get along, so that's good. But I think the comparison makes you perfect for something even more important."

Faith cocked her head to the side. "And what's that, Red?"

The redhead bestowed on Faith her first genuine Willow smile and answered. "Xander."

Something inside Faith warmed. Maybe Willow was alright after all. "Then what are we sitting around here in the mud for? Let's go and - oh, shit..."

Willow had just disappeared into thin air.

"William is gonna _kill_ me."

* * *

DO I STAY OR DO I GO NOW?

Willow's limbs felt so heavy. And her eyes wouldn't open, but she could still see things. She saw Buffy and Tara sitting on a sofa in the student lounge, not speaking. She saw the other Buffy with tears in her eyes kneeling before Angel, who was all chained up. William standing alone on the beach. Spike sitting alone at a bar. Xander and Anya curled up under a blanket. Xander and Faith sharing their first kiss. Giles looking over Amy's shoulder at a spell book. Giles putting his hand on Dawn's shoulder. The images faceted and broke and changed and swirled. Willow thought she might throw up.

And then it was just her and the little oracle girl. Willow was clean and her muscles didn't hurt. "What's happening?" she whispered.

The little girl smiled up at her. "They have decided."

All the blood drained from Willow's face. They have decided. They have decided. She swallowed hard. "And?"

"You're a catalyst. You're a foundation. You must stay. You must return."

Willow was confused. "But how will I..."

The oracle girl said "shhh" and had Willow kneel in front of her. She placed a golden hand on either side of Willow's face. Willow nodded, as if she understood. She had no idea what was happening. The oracle kissed her nose. "Hang on, this might hurt a bit."

Willow's scream ripped through the white corridors and echoed off the marble walls. And then there were two of her.

On shaky feet, the two Willows rose. One of them held out a trembling hand and said "I'm..." and the other one took the hand and finished by saying "...me."

"It's a win-win, lose-lose situation."

The two Willows turned in unison and looked at the girl. "What happens now?" they asked.

"One of you goes back; one of you stays. Doesn't matter which one. You're the same. But we'll have to do it quickly. Weird things could happen if the two of you stay together too long."

The Willows turned to one another and embraced. They shed a few tears. Then they parted and said "We're ready."

The oracle giggled. "As if." Then she snapped her fingers and two Willows were falling.

* * *

"Oof!" Willow collided with somebody. Surely the powers that be could work on their mode of transportation.

"Easy there, Red."

Willow's eyes flew up. "Will-"

Spike tilted his head at her. Then he frowned at her, but nonetheless extended his hand to help her to her feet. "I guess that answers where you've been the last few days."

"Um, yeah." Willow sounded dejected. She looked around to see where she had landed. "Always with the cemeteries," she muttered. "Would it have been so hard to drop me back at the dorm?" She didn't pay much mind to Spike, but started walking instead. She was back in her reality; she wanted to find her friends and let them know she was okay.

Spike watched her take off. _That one's always been an odd bird_, he thought to himself. For some reason, he decided to follow her.

"Hey, there, wait up now," he called out. "You'd better not go alone and what-all." He caught up with her easily.

Willow gave him an apprehensive scowl. "You just want to be with me when I turn up so you can have an excuse to see Buffy and look like you were helping."

Spike blinked. Damn, she was good. "_You_ are just being petulant because if you're here that means you've had to say goodbye to that nancy William again."

Heat rushed to Willow's cheeks. Boy, he was observant. She stopped in her tracks and waited for Spike to stop and come face her, to smirk at her pain. When he did, she slapped him. Hard. She'd never slapped anyone before. His head turned with the force of it and he growled at her.

"_You_ do not get to say his name. _You_ do not talk about him." She started walking again, alone.

Spike stared after her. This wasn't the same girl that had gone missing a few days ago. This wasn't the Willow he'd heard Buffy and the moron and the watcher talking about while he eavesdropped outside their homes and the magic shop. This girl he followed in the shadows to make sure she made it safely wherever she was going. And he wore the imprint of her hand across his cheek.

* * *

Amy answered the knock on her dormroom door and found Giles standing in the hall. There was always something out of place seeing Giles on campus.

"Have you tried the spell yet?" he asked the young witch.

She shook her head and gestured for him to come in. "I just now got the last of the supplies."

It was the evening after Willow had disappered with Faith. Everyone figured she was back in her reality, but they wanted closure. Amy had volunteered to do a locating spell. William had given her the red jeans Willow had been wearing when she showed up days before so that Amy would have a personal artifact to start with.

"Could I offer any assistance?" Giles asked.

Amy nodded. "I was setting up everything in a circle. Let me finish getting everything in order. I'm sure I could use the extra energy when I do the actual spell."

Giles looked around the room quietly as Amy arranged some candles and incense holders. His eyes fell on a burgundy book lying open on her desk. He approached it. "Amy?" he asked.

She struck a match and looked over to where he was. Uh-oh. She had meant to put that away.

"What are you doing with this?" He picked the book up. He recognized it as one of Jenny's.

"I, uh... ow," Amy stammered and looked down as the match burned her fingers. "I got that the other night. I was kind of thinking with Angel back and..." she let her voice drop to a mumble "...with William and Willow... that it might be a good idea into looking into altering the gypsy curse. Maybe removing a certain clause, or something." She was afraid to look up and meet Giles' eyes. When she did, she was surprised at what she saw.

He'd taken off his glasses. All his features looked softer. "That was very thoughtful of you, Amy." He closed the book and laid it back down.

"Only, I guess now..." she let her words fall away. She missed Willow already. "I wish we could have at least gotten goodbyes, y'know?"

Giles opened his mouth to respond, but he was cut off by the flash of light and the redhead tumbling out of the ceiling.

Willow landed on the bed with a muffled "oof" and rolled onto the floor, scattering candles and stones.

Amy and Giles were both speechless, but Amy was grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh, sorry, Amy, I seem to have messed up your circle-" Willow was cut off as Amy made it to her and threw her arms around her.

"You're back! How are you back? Are you back to stay?"

Willow laughed. "Yes. Yes, I think so." She pulled back from Amy. "Looks like this universe is home now."

Giles came over and offered Willow his hand. "Then may I be the first to say... welcome home, Willow."


	6. Epilogue

MILES FROM NOWHERE, MILES TO GO

Willow pressed her hand against the windowpane in her dorm room. She looked up at the sky. "Not even under the same stars," she mumbled.

Tara came up behind her and put her arms around her waist. "You miss them."

Willow nodded. She laid her head back on Tara's shoulder. "But I missed you there."

Tara smiled. "You were missed." The girls giggled. Willow felt at peace. There was an emptiness inside when she thought about how she would never see William or the other Buffy or anyone from the other universe again. But she had dealt with emptiness before, when Oz left her, when Buffy ran away, when Ms. Calendar was killed... and over time, the emptiness is filled, or you learn to live with it.

After awhile, they turned out the lights. And when the lights were out, the figure who had been watching them from below, though they had not known he was there, turned to go. He let his cigarette fall to the ground. As he made his way deeper into the night, he cursed himself for the lines of verse that were trying to form in his head.

He was too old for this.

* * *

Willow took her hand down from the glass. "I feel like Patty Duke," she said to her reflection.

Xander looked at her. They were at the mansion; it was just the three of them, waiting on Faith before patrol.

Willow turned from the window. "Or maybe it's Haley Mills."

William waited for her to finish, as well.

"Like I have a twin out there somewhere. And she got to go to England with mom, and I got to go to California with dad..."

"Pet, what *are* you talking about?"

Willow gave him a quirky smile. "Say that again."

"Say what?"

"Call me 'pet.' I liked that."

"Well, _pet_, come over here then." He gave her a Spike smile, predator and a little bit of prey. "I like it when you sit next to me."

Xander tried to hide a grin as he got up non-chalantly to go to the kitchen. It felt so right for Willow to be a part of them. She was going to stay with William until they figured out a way for her to become a UC Sunnydale student. The gang had already contacted Oz and had him working on hacking into databases to do something about the fact that Willow Rosenburg was supposed to be dead.

Xander knew that she felt like a part of her would always belong in another universe, that parts of her were missing. But as Xander listened to the sounds of her laughter ringing in from the next room, he felt he knew all he needed to know. That Willow was were she belonged.


End file.
